The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1887-02-26
90, 5|.'I|.|'V'''..


nue. about a half an hour before and di
rected drive up to acertain house door
There the gentleman now lying on thu
bed had come out, accompanied by two
men. One had wished to get into the
carriage with him, but had been refused
The gentleman had given the street anG
number himself, but in very veal
voice, and ordered him to drive as care
fully as possible. When he stopped ant
opened the carriage door the gentleman
was in dead faint. He had aroused the
janitor and together they carried him VI
stairs to his room, laid him in the bed anC
removed some of his clothes.
go at once for a doctor and I vii
wait here, y I said to them as soon as
learned these facts.
looked at Harry after they had gone
and tears came to my eyes at sight of his
white, motionless face. took his hand
in mine and began to stroke it gently.
After awhile he opened his eyes, and
looked at me in bewilderment, then be
smiled and weakly pressed my hand.
several times to speak, but only succeeded
after several Intellectual efforts; and then
l could scarcely distinguish the words:
Everything is all right have fixed
it. He closed his eyes; but after mo-
ment gasped:
envy coat!
I handed it to him. He tried to put
his hands into the pockets, but his strength
gave out and he shook his head and smiled
again family. searched the pockets and
took out several articles, among them a
small folding leather card case. He took
this up as I laid it on the bed near his
hand and reached it toward me.
e'F'or you'll" he murmured.
As I took it he smiled the same cid,
hearty, tender smile.
AS spread his coat out on a chair a
yellow rose fell from buttonhole.
picked it up, a little startled, as | knew
Harry had not worn any flower the pre-
vious evening. When Harry noticed the
rose, he motioned me to give it to him.
He pressed it to his lips, and two great
tear drops rolled down his cheeks. His
arm fell down and he again sank into a
half unconscious state. His face twitched
as if with pain. His left hand lay across
his heart, and the fingers opened and
closed convulsively. Pretty soon he opened
his eyes again and stared with look of
feverish longing at one corner of the room.
I followed his glance.
Bring that, he said, with an effort.
went to the spot indicated. There,
upon a little table, lay board of mod
crate size, in the middle of which was a
slight elevation, covered with a damp
cloth-ap apparently an incomplete piece Of
modelling. Beside it lay few simple
modelling tools.
carried the board to the bedside.
'sDo you mean this?" / asked.
Harry nodded. He tried to raise him.
self and lifted him up to a sitting posi-
ton. After I had done this he rested his
right hand, in which he still held the
rose, upon the cloth, and exerting all his
strength, pressed his fist down into the
yielding clay. I watched the soft earth
slowly creep out from beneath the cloth
edges under the pressure. As Harry no
ticed this he gave one strong push and
then fell back on the pillow. He did not
open his eyes again, nor did he speak.
He drew few deep struggling gasps
and then all was still.
sat some minutes staring at his pallid
face and hardly dared to breathe.
gave a great sigh of relief when the
sound of footsteps on the stairs broke the
spell by which seemed bound. Iopened
the door in answer to a light rap.
II am DR.. Van Horn, said an elderly
man, as he entered the room and walked
briskly up to the bed. With quick, dex-
ferrous movements he cut away Harry s
shirt and laid his hand upon his breast
Then he beckoned to me to help him and
we laid the body Of my dead friend down
from the sitting position.
81 have nothing to do but to certify to
the death of this person, said the doctor
after he had arranged everything.
Did he say anything?"
s'Only few words. =
is suicide probable?'
ssNo.
Probably a dueli What do you
thinkP''
''That is possible.
The doctor seated himself at table,
took out paper and pencil and wrote
name, age, etc., of my dead friend.
Then he wrote further: 'sCause of
death-paralysis of heart in consequence
of stab OF thrust. Suicide not probable
More likely duel. Opponent unknown. :"
Then he left the room. / held the
lamp to light him down stairs, he thanked
me courteously and babe me good night -
I went back into the room. The i'm
pulse to speak to Harry, to awaken him
was almost irresistible. I could not be-
lieve that the beautiful, attractive smile
had faded from his lips forever.
I took up the modelling board which
lay beside him on the bed and removed
the cloth. tried to make out what
shape the crushed mass had once had.
Harry had been entirely too weak to
entirely obliterate it. finally made out
that it had been a medallion, with a
woman's head upon it in relief. The
face was indistinguishable, but the hair
was almost uniniured. I also examined
the card case which Harry had given me,
but it contained only few cards and a
receipt or two, as far as I could judge
from my hasty glance.
Again there was the noise of steps,
and the janitor entered, followed by a
gentleman.
s'The doctorl''
l looked at them in establishment.
''The doctor has been here already"
said.
Doctor who?" I went directly to the
nearest surgeon and came back with him
myself.
Meanwhile the doctor went up to the
bed and convinced himself that his serv-
ices came too late for aid.
l told them what had happened, and
handed the physician the paper the other
doctor had left.
ssAh, all DR.. Van Horn? The favorite
of New York society," How did he hap
pen to come here?"
s'Who knows?'' said in reply.
Perhaps the man who gave him this
thrust sent to discover if it was mortal. .
The janitor agreed to watch the rest of
the night and went to bed.
About noon the next day I was awak-
ened by an officer summoning me to APP
pear before the coroner's jury.
l told what had occurred under my OBJ
servation, but made no reference to the
medallion or the card case out of respect
f0 Harrv,a evident v1ic1no- Tho ooo,I,